Digital marketing system

A digital marketing system (DMS) is a method of centralized channel distribution used primarily by SaaS products. It combines a content management system (CMS) with data centralization and syndication across the web, mobile, scannable surface, and social channels.

Web[]

A DMS publishes to web channels, usually in the form of a stand-alone website. It can manage any part of the web process, including web design, web hosting, domain registering, marketing, content creation and other standard methods of web promotion. The goal of web publication is to give the user a digital 'home' on the web, where clients, guests, fans and other web browsers arrive as a destination. Other methods of digital marketing often work to drive traffic to the web channel.

An example of a SaaS DMS services is HubSpot.

Social[]

A DMS publishes to popular social channels, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as a means to communicate with fans, friends, followers, and customers and drive traffic to the user's website. The social publication can take the form of a status update, a text message, a 'tweet', a photo, a video and many other means of social communication. The idea is to find browsers in social spaces who might not otherwise be targeted.

Mobile[]

A DMS publishes to mobile devices, offering unique content formatted for those devices, such as the iPhone, iPad and Android phones. Mobile publication often takes the form of a mobile-optimized website theme, with larger navigation and a cleaner user interface. A mobile publication can also include 'apps' for devices that support them, 'push' notifications and SMS texting marketing.

Gaming is also a new form of Digital marketing, where creators custom makes games fit for a certain brand. It is used with larger navigation and an interface. It is the key factor to where mobile publication is included within the services.

Scannable surface[]

A set of a scannable surface includes tablet PC, publishing material, TV etc media. QR code enables traditional marketing channels to be utilized for a new digital transform. A quick scan on the QR code can guide viewers directly to the information they need without spending time on browsing and be searching, and the most valuable method of using QR code scan is to link to purchase basket.

NFC or Near field communication is a growing technology used in information sharing, that is, cash transactions, access information and other personal information.

Privacy issue[]

Digital marketing is considered as a challenge for privacy ^[1] because consumers' information is searched, collected, and used in the process of digital marketing without consumers' awareness.^[2] The privacy of customers is important because that it is related to customers' perceived value, satisfaction, loyalty,^[3] their trust on a company and performance of a company.^[4]

Types of information[]

Basic information：

In the traditional sense, private information mainly includes gender, age, education background, marital status and other basic information.^[5]

In the network society, private information also includes personalized digital information such as account passwords.^[6]

Activity information：

Private information refers to browsing history, purchasing records, location, social activities and so on ^[5]

Illegal use of information[]

At present, the discussion on the consequences of privacy issues caused by digital marketing technology is increasingly focused on the possibility of illegal use of information.^[7] The information of consumers may become commodities, which will be exchanged or traded without the consumer's awareness and authorization.^[8]

The consumers' information is mainly exchanged or transacted in two forms. One is that the related merchants share those data between each other. The other is that those data are sold by certain recommenders to a third party.^[5] For example, the data that can identify the financial status of consumers is very attractive to credit agencies. All these above increases the risk of consumer privacy.

Customer attitude[]

Some customers tend to choose the latter between a right of privacy and other favorable conditions. Pieces of evidence show that some customers are willing to allow merchants to use their personal information if they can have something to gain in return, even just small rewards, even though they do worry about their privacy may be invaded.^[9] In addition, digital marketing provide convenience to people.^[2] In the minds of some customers, this convenience is more important than their privacy, especially for teens.^[10] Nevertheless, most people are very concerned about whether their privacy is protected.^[2]

Supervision and administration[]

Permission marketing seems to be a good way to solve legal issues and privacy issues. It provides a suitable way to let merchants could connect with customers. Consumers can grant licenses only to a few merchants which are chosen from a large number of merchants. Permission marketing aims to make digital marketing matches the request of the law and provide consumers with information autonomy and.^[7] The other solution is that merchants post privacy logs to promote transparency and accountability.^[11]

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an example which meets the above requirements. It stipulates that merchants can collect customers' information only for specific, clear and legitimate purposes and deal with them only in a fair, transparent, and legal manner and merchants must protect these data.^[12] Customers should be informed that how will their data be used, what will be the effects and other relevant information in a concise, easy-to-understand and freeway so that they can clearly determine whether it is necessary to grant authorization or not.^[13] Except the right to be informed, the GDPR also provide customers with seven other rights such us the right of access, the right to erasure, the right to restrict processing, the right to object and establishes corresponding accountability system.^[14]

References[]